The present invention relates generally to container products and specifically an articulated tray apparatus for articulation into a shallow depth container for use on large conveyor packaging lines, capable of retaining loose objects deposited therein as the container moves down a conveyor line. The present invention is constructed in a manner so as to permit the formation of the container by mechanical tray former - carton erection equipment as well as to prompt articulated closure and sealing of the container.
In an effort to reduce cost it has long been an object of businesses to improve the efficiency of the business as it relates to the manufacture of goods. An ever increasing area of attention has proved to be the costs associated with packaging the business, goods prior to their shipment to the consumer. Towards this end, it has become common to find large scale packaging lines utilized by business wherein a previously assembled open container, often made of corrugated cardboard, is transported down a conveyor belt past employees of the business who fill customer orders for goods by selecting ordered piece-parts and by placing them in the container as it moves down the conveyor past the employee's work station.
In an effort to improve the efficiency of this process, attempts have been directed towards automating the packaging procedure where possible, giving particular attention to the human labor factor. In many cases however it is inappropriate, or otherwise uneconomical, to replace the employee with automated equipment, particularly where a large variation and size range of goods is required to be packaged. It therefore becomes desirable to configure a large scale packaging line wherein corrugated cardboard containers, for example, would be automatically erected by appropriate machinery at the beginning of a conveyor line, with the open container transported down the moving conveyor past individuals positioned at their work stations where such individuals would select and deposit the goods into the container as the container passes the individual work stations. Efforts have likewise been directed towards automating the facilitated closure and sealing of such a filled box, at the end of the conveyor line, where the last individual folds the four flaps of a conventional carton over, to close the carton and guide it into a taping machine which would join the two major flaps together where they meet along the center line of the container.
With the high costs associated with transportation and storage, and the ever-increasing costs of container stock, it is desirable to utilize a packaging container which conforms as closely as possible to the shape of the goods sought to be shipped to the consumer, in order to minimize the amount of cardboard required and the shipping volume of the overall object to be shipped or stored.
In many cases where the goods sought to be shipped are extremely thin, such as, for example, automotive gasket material or books and publications, shallow depth containers are utilized in order to minimize the size of the container.
Unfortunately, typical prior art shallow depth containers are either constructed with breaks in the peripheral walls, through which small parts being packaged can migrate, or are often constructed in a manner which utilizes corner tab members to form, join and seal adjacent sides of a container together to form containment corners. Such tab members typically possess at least one dimension which is approximately equal to the depth of the container as established by the dimension of the side wall of the container. In shallow depth containers, the side walls and thus the corner tab member may be quite small, often on the order of one-half to three-quarters of an inch.
In order to assemble the container from a pre-cut carton blank, these narrow tab members must be separated from the other panels forming the carton blank, manipulated into position, aligned, glued and/or otherwise adhered to the appropriate adjacent side wall of the container in order to form a rigid corner. The use of such narrow corner tab members thus typically renders shallow container blanks unsuitable for assembly by automated tray former - carton erection equipment due to the inability of such equipment to reliably manipulate the small corner tabs into place and precisely deposit adhesive glue on the small corner tab members.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shallow depth tray apparatus for facilitated articulation, closure and sealing into a filled shallow depth container, for use on large conveyor packaging lines, while being capable of more effectively retaining goods deposited therein as the container moves down a conveyor line, prior to closure.
It is additionally an object of the present invention to provide a container blank which omits reliance upon substantially narrow corner tab members common to most shallow depth containers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a container blank which may be formed into a shallow container by automated tray former - carton erection equipment.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a container which may be initially formed by automated equipment, and then closed and sealed either manually or by machine, with a minimum of effort.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide such a container blank which utilizes connection flaps to join side walls to adjacent end walls where such connection flaps each have an upper portion and a lower portion connected thereto, and where such upper portions have articulation fold lines formed therein for facilitating articulation of the connection flap and closure of the container, with a minimum of folding resistance.
As a further object, the present invention provides for a tray apparatus constructed by articulation of a blank formed from a substantially continuous sheet of corrugated cardboard material providing for ease of assembly, resulting in cost savings and increased efficiency upon large conveyor packaging lines.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the present specification and drawings.